


Better Left Forgotten About

by VampiricYoshi



Series: Sole Surivor Markus Maki [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: (Cole is not mentioned by name), Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Narrative, No-win situation, Oneshot, Post-Apocalyptic Politics, far harbor spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 22:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16128251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VampiricYoshi/pseuds/VampiricYoshi
Summary: Markus Maki, the Sole Survivor of Vault 111, reflects on the events on the island; and wonders what it means for his and Valentine's friendship. There were more than a few things that he did that he wasn't proud of...





	Better Left Forgotten About

Maybe it was the situation with Jule that should have hinted to Markus that something wasn’t right. And if not that, then perhaps fact that DiMA seemed uncomfortably eager to plant a seed of doubt into Markus’ mind about his own existence.

But the pre-war veteran wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt; the doubt that was Kasumi’s suspicions, DiMA having Chase tail Markus and Hancock upon their first visit to the Nucleus, Nick’s confusion about why he couldn’t remember what happened between him and DiMA… Markus wanted it all to be well-intentioned or at least coincidental.

Markus understood why Faraday did what he did, in regards to Victoria – no, _Jule’s_ treatment for her trauma. Did he agree with it? No – of course not. But Markus believed that with the resources Faraday had, he made the best decision he could in that instance. And in the end, Jule was safe in Acadia; broken, but safe. And Markus had no doubt that Faraday carried the guilt of what happened to her with him every day.

On the surface, Jule’s trouble had no connection at all to what DiMA only recently had planned. But if one were to believe in karma and that the universe still cared enough to give people warning signs, _then_ there was a connection. Markus had noticed, but he didn’t do anything about it… and the regret of it all started almost immediately after he handed DiMA that holotape: the one that told him what he’d done before to achieve peace with Far Harbor; and gave him the idea to do the exact same thing to the Children of Atom.

Markus wondered if Nick had connected the dots. If he had, he hadn’t told the pre-war hero for one reason or another. But Nick wasn’t one to let his distaste for something go unmentioned (his rather harsh criticism of Markus’ decision regarding Jule was just one example of that), so Markus didn’t think Nick got the idea – not even after finding the secret medical facility at the bottom of the Vim! Pop factory. Markus wondered if Nick thought it was maybe run by DiMA and Faraday together, hidden away before they secured the Nucleus or Acadia. Sure, the discovery of the coffin was grisly, but Markus had spotted the holotape inside and snagged it before Nick could see it. He hoped.

Markus’ mind was all jumbled and confused with his morals battling with the logic that DiMA had spun in his head, and with everything weighing on Markus… Nick _himself_ was just one more layer.

Before bringing any of DiMA’s memories to the synth on the mountain, Markus made sure to deliver the one with him and Nick to his own friend first. Nick had been waiting for him with Piper and Longfellow at the older gentlemen’s cabin, and it clearly hadn’t been a patient wait. Markus made the decision to leave Nick behind, as he worried that bringing someone who looked like DiMA along with him might spark some unnecessary hostility, and Nick begrudgingly agreed. Hancock went, even though the Children of Atom weren’t thrilled with his apparent ‘rejection’ from Atom (it wasn’t until later that Piper regaled Markus the story about how she became an accidental Child of Atom and he wondered if she would have been a better choice – but the two of them only had so much Rad-Away to use on this island and they had to make it last).

Nick had almost been meek when he asked if Markus found any evidence. Markus understood that his best friend was confused and almost lost, and anything he could give to help Nick piece together his past Markus never hesitated to turn it over – even if it was an apparent fight with the one who called him ‘brother’. But Lord knew how long ago that was, and Markus had wanted to think that if DiMA hadn’t locked the memory away he’d be regretting it every moment and mourning the loss of his brother.

Nick wasn’t even mad with the memory (how did it translate in Nick’s brain, Markus wondered? Did it play like a film? Or did it flash back like a human’s memory with half-formed pictures?), he just seemed lost. He didn’t know what to do with the information, and he asked Markus for advice: did he accept or reject DiMA as his brother?

Markus personally saw this as Nick’s only chance to feel as if he related to anyone. No matter how many times Markus assured the synth that he was every bit of a man as a human was, Nick had trouble believing him. So relating to someone with the same history, the same limitations, and virtually the same body, in Markus’ opinion, would help his friend greatly improve with his view on himself. Markus encouraged him to connect with DiMA – build a relationship. Talk to each other while they were on the island and maybe make some good memories.

Never in Markus’ wildest dreams though did he think that DiMA could be a _conniving murderer_.

Taking the memory out and storing it away, in Markus’ opinion, was a cowardly way out. With no memory DiMA didn’t have to waste time feeling guilt about what he had done. He didn’t have the time to think about how to do things differently ‘next time’. (Markus wouldn’t have either of those luxuries, and he wondered if DiMA realized that.) Without the memory, he couldn’t learn from it… except when he thought it would be a great idea to carry out again.

And the worst part? Markus was playing right into his hands.

No, DiMA didn’t display maliciousness or malcontent – on the contrary, it was painfully obvious his plan came out of the deepest love for his synth colony and for life itself. But one would be hard-pressed to ignore the glaring fact that what DiMA did – what he wanted _Markus_ to do for him – was _exactly_ what the Commonwealth boogey-man the Institute was doing to play the politics in the outside world to their favor.

It didn’t sit well with Markus at all… but he wasn’t smart enough to come up with anything else – at least, nothing that could have a better outcome for the three factions on the island.

Turning DiMA in to Far Harbor and exposing him for what he’d done was right out. Far Harbor didn’t trust people easily at all, and if Markus were to bring them the leader of the synths of Acadia and tell them exactly what he had done to their captain, they’d never look at synths the same way again. Synths might not even be welcome on the island anymore, and who knew what would happen to those already on the island. Could Faraday lead them? Or Chase? Would they be able to withstand an attack if Far Harbor decided to wage war for revenge?

And after all the time that DiMA and Nick had already spent together, building their relationship and getting along so well, Markus feared that the betrayal might distress and disappoint Nick in a way that he couldn't even predict.

Markus hated to admit it, even to himself, that arming the missile in the Nucleus had been a tempting option. But DiMA’s idea was better, if one only looked at the approximate death count of two people: High Confessor Tektus, and the previous life of the synth that would replace him.

Markus embarked alone on the island to put together the preparations for DiMA, leaving Piper, Hancock, and Nick with Longfellow housed in an old bus that they repurposed as a bunkhouse for the four of them visiting. They were confused – of course they were – but Markus couldn’t bear to tell them what he was doing… or who he was doing it for.

Markus did DiMA’s bidding, like a sap who knew exactly what he was helping orchestrate, and he delivered the modified holotape to Tektus, which sparked the expected reaction and led the two of them back into the command center where they would not be bothered (even with the security measures taken down by Markus and Hancock, hardly anyone dared enter). But when it came down to it, Markus couldn’t pull the trigger on Tektus – not for DiMA.

Markus was straight up and frank with Tektus, even taking his shades off so the High Confessor could see in his eyes that he was completely and utterly serious.

As for Tektus, Markus was afraid that he would become belligerent and try to defend himself, but he was surprised and a small part relieved that he took Markus at face value. Markus didn’t know what it was, but something told Tektus that it was over for him there and he took Markus’ advice to leave the island, promising to never come back.

Markus almost hoped that Tektus could make it to the Glowing Sea where he might find the Children of Atom sect there that could welcome him. But Markus also understood it was more likely that Tektus might be dead before he could get anywhere near the Sea. He was still a psychopath and a dangerous supremacist. At least that way it wouldn’t have been Markus who pulled the trigger.

DiMA’s reaction upon hearing the news of Tektus’ departure was one that surprised Markus: DiMA seemed _disappointed_. Not in him, he never said that, but the way he worded it, it was as if he didn’t appreciate the circumstances. This upset Markus to a degree – wasn’t the whole plan to _keep_ people from dying? Wasn’t this better than _two_ people having their lives taken for the good of everyone else?

Markus didn’t know why he hadn’t consciously thought about it before, but that was when he decided that this would be the last thing he ever did for DiMA. Markus never wanted to see the old synth again and he wanted to wash his hands of Far Harbor and the Nucleus and Acadia and the whole island _forever_.

Markus didn’t tell anyone how everything came to be resolved. He managed to convince Kasumi (who he was reasonably sure was _very_ human – just another black mark on DiMA’s long, long list of offenses) to return home to her family, and while he couldn’t entirely assure her that she was human, at least she was home safe where she truly wanted to be.

The boat ride with his friends, however… it felt like the longest ride in his life. Hancock and Piper were full of questions (and offers to partake in substances to help pass the time (Hancock’s idea)), but Markus rebuffed every one carefully. Nick, himself, gave up after less than a dozen; he knew when his partner didn’t want to talk, and Markus was grateful for that… at least for now. Now that everything was said and done, he worried that there would be a time when Nick would sit him down and ask him very seriously what happened and why Markus was so unwilling to speak about anything on the island. Markus didn’t know if he could keep the truth from him then.

He’d cross that bridge when it came.

The reunion of the Nakano family was thankfully sweet and otherwise uneventful. It was honestly almost a blur for Markus and he doubted he’d remember much of it later. And the walk back to Diamond City to report back to Ellie also went without much significance.

Nick trusted Markus to talk to Ellie while he ran some errands, but when Ellie asked him about the case Markus had quite unprofessionally muttered that he didn’t want to talk about it. Color him surprised when Ellie agreed to his feelings toward the case without prompting and said that she’d file it away in the “Better Left Forgotten About” folder (Markus didn’t even know they _had_ a folder for that!).

As she was thanking him for his work Nick returned and made a joke about Markus getting all the credit.

It was like nothing absolutely horrible or sinister had happened. Did he really have no idea?

Nick was a detective. Markus was sure that one day he would figure it out. And honestly, that fact scared him. Markus was not looking forward to that day.

# End

**Author's Note:**

>  **Warning: Long comment, because what's better for after finishing a story than more reading?** ))
> 
> I call this a oneshot, but it’ll actually be part of more in-universe content with this Sole Survivor. However there won’t be any direct sequels to this piece.  
>   
> Far Harbor bothered me so, so much. Not because it wasn't a good story -- not at all! I thought that the choices, in regards to story-writing, was great! It was the choices themselves that didn't make me feel good, and I feel like that was good story-writing.
> 
> Some things just couldn't be fixed by increased charisma or strength alone. I thought DiMA was a great character in that he seemed completely unwavering in the ways he believed things should be (though yeah, I know I could have told him to confess, but in-character I though that was also the worst idea).
> 
> My reasoning regarding Nick, even though I distrusted DiMA, was that Nick needed more people on his side. And here was a person who loved him unconditionally. And it's not like Nick is stupid -- I thought that he could make his own decisions in whether or not DiMA was ultimately a good person (presuming he finds out about the other synth's crimes after the game, because he makes very little indication that he knew or cared. Meh... I guess a tad bit more writing could have been added there on Bethesda's part).
> 
> I didn't mean to make this whole entire thing a narrative instead of dialogue driven, but that's just kind of how it happened. And I'm surprised it got as long as it did.
> 
> My actual experience when reporting to Ellie was exactly "I don't want to talk about it" and I guess regardless of the 'happy ending' we got, her dialogue was programmed to assume the absolute worst. I was then like "Well, actually, I guess it wasn't _all_ bad -- the base case was solved favorably and politics are better on the island, I just meant I didn't want to go into details about what had happened..." But I couldn't say all that 
> 
> And regarding Kasumi, I had severe doubts that she was a synth, even though I didn't ask the Railroad about her nor did I have access to Institute records at this time in the game. Just the facts though: Kasumi lived with her parents (and grandfather). She started having nightmares after her grandfather died, but seemed to have vivid memories before then too. Her parents kept a close eye on her so she couldn't go anywhere, making it unlikely that she was taken and replaced.
> 
> Also, why would the Institute replace some random kid on the shoreline when she and her family had no connection or interest in politics? And if it were the Railroad, you can't just give someone a synth and expect them to accept it as their daughter. Not unless all three (four, including the grandfather I guess) of the family were synths too. It's easier to place one synth than three/four.
> 
> Looking on the wiki kind of confirmed my suspicions because upon death, Kasumi doesn't have any synthetic parts, and it states that neither the Institute or the Railroad have records of her.
> 
> So basically, DiMA more or less groomed Kasumi to assume the 'worst', when he literally had no idea whether what he was telling her was true or not. DiMA straight-up kidnapped her like a mentally-disturbed cult leader. I still don't know if this is him genuinely looking for synths to add to his fold, or if he is asking these questions to make people think about how close synths actually are in their own lives (not as a bad thing, but as an eye-opening type thing). When he asked me about it when I met him I was just like "Are you @#$%ing kidding me?"
> 
> *sighs* I didn't mean to turn this into a rant/analysis on DiMA. Long-story-short, I clearly have severe criticisms against him. I appreciate what he's doing, but his methods leave _so much_ to be desired, and that's an understatement. This was a good DLC in my opinion.
> 
> Anyway, hoped you guys liked the story. First real one-shot since I wrote ["Their First Christmas Story"](https://www.deviantart.com/vampiricyoshi/art/Fallout-4-Their-Favorite-Christmas-Story-oneshot-580199724) (Not taking place in the same universe).
> 
> \--
> 
> [Tumblr Link](https://www.deviantart.com/users/outgoing?https://vampiric-plays-games.tumblr.com/post/178381706947/fallout-4-better-left-forgotten-about-oneshot)  
> [DeviantART Link](https://www.deviantart.com/vampiricyoshi/art/Fallout-4-Better-Left-Forgotten-About-oneshot-765049099)
> 
> \--
> 
> **Fallout 4 and most characters (c) Bethesda  
> **  
>  Writing and Markus by me. Please do not repost without permission.


End file.
